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| Sunday 5th November 2006 | ||
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| The Black Kite reappeared in Lincolnshire, albeit briefly; the bird was seen over Holbeach Marsh early morning before drifting off south west. Lincolnshire also produced a Red-rumped Swallow south over Donna Nook at midday. The only other new rarity came in the form of a Dusky Warbler on Portland Bill, where a Richard's Pipit, Great Grey Shrike and Yellow-browed Warbler could also be found. Nearby the adult Red-breasted Goose remained on The Fleet, along with two Black Brants. In Suffolk the Dusky Warbler remained in Lowestoft and the American Golden Plover was still at Waxham, Norfolk. The confiding first-winter male Desert Wheatear continued it's stay on St.Mary's, Isles of Scilly and a Little Bunting could also be found on Tresco. Fair Isle's first Black Duck remained in situ. In Ireland the Barrow's Goldeneye was still in County Down, along with a Lesser Yellowlegs, the six White-rumped Sandpipers remained in County Wexford and both adult white morph and a blue morph Snow Geese graced North Slob WWR. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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Daily news summaries
Catch up with RBA's daily birdnews summaries. Browse ten days at a time, or choose a date to read summaries from that day backwards.
Daily summaries are available from 13 April 2006. For earlier weekly reviews, visit our articles.
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| Saturday 4th November 2006 | ||
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| A Red-throated Pipit at Ashleworth Ham, Gloucestershire and Dusky Warbler at Lowestoft, Suffolk indicated that the coming of November need not spell the end for the autumn. However, the pipit only showed until midday in a private area and the Dusky Warbler proved typically elusive. A Radde's Warbler reported at Dungeness was also in an area with no access. An adult Red-breasted Goose joined Dark-bellied Brent Geese on The Fleet, Dorset and will probably be 'given the nod' as a wild bird. The same flock also contained an adult Black Brant. In County Down the adult drake Barrow's Goldeneye returned to the Quoile Pondage; chances are the bird will winter at the site for the second consecutive year. Also in Ireland, a grand tally of six White-rumped Sandpipers were at Tacumshin, with a further two at Ballycotton and a lone individual at Belfast Lough RSPB. Back across the Irish Sea American Golden Plovers were located in Cornwall and Norfolk. Desert Wheatears remained in East Sussex and St.Mary's, Isles of Scilly and Little Auks continued to pass the east coast in decent numbers. A Richard's Pipit was briefly in Lincolnshire, at inland Baston and Langtoft Gravel Pits. A juvenile Woodchat Shrike at Soar, Devon is an excellent November record. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 3rd November 2006 | ||
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| The previous day's Black Kite in south Lincolnshire proved popular as
many took the opportunity to catch up with this difficult-to-connect-with
species. It was last reported slightly further south at Gedney Grove End,
leaving many weekend twitchers feeling nervous at to whether it would remain.
The other main news of the day was the continuing passage of Little Auks,
albeit in smaller number than on 2nd.
New rarities were comprised of a possible Lesser Scaup in Staffordshire, a Richard's Pipit in Gwynedd an American Golden Plover in County Cork and a White-rumped Sandpiper in County Antrim. Several rarities from previous days continued to perform. These included the Desert Wheatears in East Sussex and on Scilly, the Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, the Red-breasted Geese in Lincolnshire, and the Black Duck on Fair Isle. The first large flocks of Fieldfares continued to arrive, with large numbers also on 2nd. With the first major arrivals of commoner winter migrants occuring so late this year, many birders will be hoping the rarity season is also running late. |
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| - Simon Mitchell, RBA | ||
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| Thursday 2nd November 2006 | ||
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| The highlight of some fabulous seawatching along the British east coast was a
Brünnich's Guillemot in East Yorkshire, seen briefly off Flamborough
Head with it - or another - reported later off Withernsea. A few Grey
Phalaropes and Pomarine Skuas were noted passing various watchpoints
but it was, in the main, the day of the Little Auk, of which the peak
counts comprised in Northumberland 7,881 Farne Islands and 6,000 Newbiggin, East
Yorkshire 3,190 Flamborough Head and 1,050 Spurn, Co Durham 3,049 Whitburn,
Angus 1,637 Fishtown of Usan, East Yorkshire 1,092 Scarborough and 646 Filey,
Norfolk 752 Sheringham, Lincolnshire 401 Gibraltar Point, Aberdeenshire 329
Girdle Ness, Cleveland 256 South Gare, Suffolk 103 Benacre, Kent 35 Reculver and
Essex 33 Holland Haven. Elsewhere a Dusky Warbler on Hayling Island, Hampshire was a county first and a Black Kite in Lincolnshire that flew over Freiston Shore and appeared to roost near Butterwick will prove popular if it shows again tomorrow morning. The Desert Wheatears in East Sussex (at Cooden Beach) and Isles of Scilly (St Mary's) remained from yesterday but the Masked Shrike had gone from the latter. The Black Duck continued on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles and the White-billed Diver was seen again in Roaringwater Bay, Co Cork. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Wednesday 1st November 2006 | ||
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| A remarkable discovery today came in the form of Britain's second Masked
Shrike. Just two years after the first, it was found on St.Mary's on the
Scilly Isles and remained on show during the late afternoon. A fine male Desert
Wheatear was also found on St.Mary's and the island also continued to host a
Blyth's Reed Warbler, a Rose-coloured Starling and a Richard's
Pipit, with a Serin on Tresco and at least three Yellow-browed
Warblers on the islands.
Elsewhere another Desert Wheatear was found at Cooden Beach in East Sussex. A White-billed Diver flew north past Girdle Ness in Aberdeenshire and a Black Duck was found on Fair Isle in The Shetlands. An American Golden Plover flew over Nanjizal Valley near Land's End in Cornwall. In northerly winds, seawatching along the east coast produced large numbers of Little Auks with a smattering of Sooty Shearwaters, Pomarine Skuas and Grey Phalaropes among the commoner seabirds. Southern counties witnessed some impressive movements of common birds at various sites topped by a passage of 74,000 Woodpigeons past Christchurch Harbour in the morning. |
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| - Pete Hayman, RBA | ||
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| Tuesday 31st October 2006 | ||
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| Today brought more of the same with highlights amongst the finds an American Golden Plover
on South Uist, Western Isles, a White-rumped Sandpiper at Ballycotton, Co Cork and a brief
Olive-backed Pipit at Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire. Of the rarities remaining from previous days the Blyth's Reed Warbler on St Mary's, Isle of Scilly, Radde's Warbler on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, Glossy Ibis at Fluke Hall, Lancashire, Cattle Egret near Sidmouth, Devon and two American Golden Plovers in Cambridgeshire were the most noteworthy. A total of 33 Spoonbills was notable, including flocks of 18 on the Taw Estuary, Devon and 12 at Brownsea Island, Dorset. In London the distinctive adult Yellow-legged Gull with extensive, dense but neat head streaking showed again in Hyde Park but it still remains for it to be identified to form. It, at least superficially, closely resembles Azorean Yellow-legged Gull although it has been suggested that this head pattern can perhaps also be shown by some Yellow-legged Gulls of the, principally Mediterranean, form michahellis. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Monday 30th October 2006 | ||
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| A Blyth's Reed Warbler identified on St Mary's, Isle of Scilly was the rarest find of the day with an
Arctic Redpoll on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles, American Golden Plover at Maxey, Cambridgeshire and a
White-rumped Sandpiper at Lurgangreen, Co Louth also new discoveries. A second
Radde's Warbler was unearthed on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd. In Ireland the White-billed Diver showed again off Cape Clear, Co Cork with Lesser Yellowlegs nearby at Rosscarbery, Forster's Tern in Co Louth and White-rumped Sandpiper still in Co Kerry. In England the Cattle Egret reappeared near Sidmouth, Devon whilst two Red-breasted Geese remained in Lincolnshire as did the Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Long-billed Dowitcher in Kent, Great White Egret in West Yorkshire and White-rumped Sandpipers in Norfolk. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Sunday 29th October 2006 | ||
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| Few new rarities were discovered today with a Radde's Warbler on Bardsey Island, Gwynedd and a
Rustic Bunting on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly being the pick of the bunch;
a White-rumped Sandpiper in Co Kerry and a Cattle Egret in Essex
provided a supporting cast. In Northumberland the Daurian Shrike remained at Cresswell and the Bonaparte's Gull at Newbiggin with other long-staying rarities including the Glossy Ibis in Lancashire, Spotted Sandpiper in Cornwall, Forster's Tern in Co Louth and the two Red-breasted Geese in Lincolnshire. Elsewhere a Long-billed Dowitcher, two Ferruginous Ducks, three Great White Egrets, four American Golden Plovers and five White-rumped Sandpipers were all recorded. The most frustrating news was of the presence of a Siberian Rubythroat in a garden in Sunderland, Co Durham from at least 26th-28th October. Following the identification (from photographs) it was most disappointing that access was not arranged. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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| Saturday 28th October 2006 | ||
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| The final Saturday in October failed to provide the hoped for late autumn mega, but a scattering of rarities were available around the country. The best new bird was a Marbled Duck at North Warren RSPB, Suffolk, but this record will undoubtedly be tainted with the usual controversy that surrounds this species. In Kent the stunning male Penduline Tit continued to perform at Dungeness RSPB and in Northumberland the Daurian Shrike remained at Cresswell Pond. Cambridgeshire continued to host the juvenile American Golden Plover at Little Paxton Gravel Pits and in Yorkshire the Great White Egret toured a selection of waterbodies in the morning before reappearing at New Swillington Ings. The Thrush Nightingale remained on Fair Isle. Little Auks were recorded in small numbers off the mainland, but in Northumberland the Farne Islands scored a massive tally of 1,997 by midday. Late news from 19th October related to a Killdeer on North Uist, presumably the same bird seen last weekend in Argyll. |
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| - Stuart Piner, RBA | ||
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| Friday 27th October 2006 | ||
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| New discoveries today were headlined by a Desert Wheatear on St Agnes, Isle of Scilly, a
Daurian Shrike at Druridge Pools, Northumberland, Penduline Tit at Dungeness, Kent,
Dusky Warbler at Gunton, Suffolk and American Golden Plover at Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire. The White-billed Diver remained off Cape Clear, Co Cork and the late Thrush Nightingale stayed on Fair Isle, Shetland Isles. The Glossy Ibis put in another appearance at Marshside, Merseyside and the pair of Red-breasted Geese present recently in Lincolnshire were seen passing Spurn, East Yorkshire. Of local significance were a Rose-coloured Starling at Kidwelly, Carmarthensire, a Richard's Pipit at Rumworth Lodge, Greater Manchester and a movement of 494 Little Auks past the Farne Islands, Northumberland. |
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| - Chris Batty, RBA | ||
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